Expression profiling of candidate genes for abdominal fat mass in domestic chicken <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gallus gallus</Emphasis>

The quantitative traits of mass and percentage of abdominal fat in chicken and various types of obesity in mammals are homologous and functionally similar. Therefore, the genes involved in obesity development in humans and laboratory rodents as well as those responsible for pig lard thickness could be involved in abdominal fat deposition in broilers. Expression of candidate genes FABP1, FABP2, FABP3, HMGA1, MC4R, PPARG, PPARGC1A, POMC and PTPN1 was studied in fat, liver, colon, muscle, pituitary gland, and brain in chicken (broilers) using real-time PCR. Significant difference in the HMGA1 gene expression in the liver of broiler chicken with high (3.5 ± 0.18%) and low (1.9 ± 0.56%) abdominal fat concentration has been revealed. The expression of this gene was been shown to correlate with the amount (0.7, P ≤ 0.01) and mass (0.7, P ≤ 0.01) of abdominal fat. The PPARG gene expression in liver in the same chicken subsets was also significantly different. Correlation coefficients of the gene expression with the abdominal fat amount and mass were respectively 0.55 (P ≤ 0.05) and 0.57 (P ≤ 0.01). Based on these results, we suggest that the HMGA1 and PPARG genes are involved in abdominal fat deposition. The search for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HMGA and PPARG regulatory regions could facilitate identifying genetic markers for broiler breeding according to the mass and percentage of abdominal fat.     

Association of a single nucleotide substitution in intergenic region of chromosome 4 with traits of egg quality in domestic chickens

The association of SNP2-1 with egg quality traits in domestic chickens was analyzed. SNP2-1 alleles were significantly associated with the thickness of eggshells in chickens of the UK-72 line. The substitution of the SNP2-1 allele T for the C allele had an effect of 35 ± 15 μm, which corresponds to one standard deviation. For this trait, the effect of the T allele was dominant. SNP2-1 was also associated with other traits, including shell weight, egg-laying capacity in 60-week-old chickens (line UK-72), and egg weight in 60-week-old chickens (line cross CD). Thus, the QTL marked with SNP2-1 has a pleiotropic effect that depends on the chicken strain. Candidate genes located on chromosome 4 in close vicinity of SNP2-1 are discussed.     

Seasonal characteristics of the circadian rhythm of peripheral blood leukocyte content in Wistar rats]

In Wistar rats, the seasonal variability of acrophase position, mesor value and circadian rhythm amplitudes of total leukocyte count, as well as of percentage and absolute lymphocyte count was revealed. The leukocyte count and absolute lymphocyte content were found highest in spring, while eosinophils--in autumn, neutrophils and monocytes--in winter.     

Investigation of pseudoautosomal and bordering regions in avian Z and W chromosomes with the use of large insert genomic BAC clones

To study pseudoautosomal and bordering regions in the avian Z and W chromosomes, we used seven BAC clones from genomic libraries as DNA probes of fragments of different gametologs of the ATP5A1 gene located close to the proximal border of the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) of sex chromosomes of domestic chicken and Japanese quail. Localization of BAC clones TAM31-b100C09, TAM31-b99N01, TAM31-b27P16, and TAM31-b95L18 in the short arm of Z chromosomes of domestic chicken and Japanese quail (region Zp23-p22) and localization of the BAC clones CHORI-261-CH46G16, CHORI-261-CH33F10, and CHORI-261-CH64F22 on W chromosomes of these species and in the short arm of Z chromosomes (region Zp23-p22) were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization with the use of W-specific probes. The difference in the localization of the BAC clones on the Z and W chromosomes is probably explained by divergence of the nucleotide sequences of different sex chromosomes located beyond the pseudoautosomal region.     

Binding of cytosolic complexes of estradiol analogs with cell nuclei from the rabbit uterus

The relative affinities of estrogen-receptor complexes for rabbit uterine nuclei were measured, using a newly developed technique. The low ligand specificity of this interaction was established.     

Translocation of estradiol analogs into nuclei in a cell-free system of the rabbit uterus

The values of relative translocation of structural and steric analogs of estradiol in rabbit uterine homogenates were determined. The differences between the ligand specificity of translocation and that of the cytosol receptor was established.